Repair form



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Aug. 13, 1929.

Patented Aug. v 13, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PAUL HUBBARD PUFFER, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA. ASSIGNOR TO PUFFER- HUBBARD MANUFACTURING 00., OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, A CORPORATION OF MINNESOTA.

REPAIR FORM.

Application filed September 17, 1927.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in repair forms, particularly adapted for use in repairing collapsible crates and boxes usually comprising a plurality of slats secured together by means of wire strands which have their opposite ends clinched to prevent the slats from accidental- 1y becoming separated.

An object of the invention is to provide a repair form for repairing crates and boxes comprising a supporting member having corner irons adjustably secured thereto whereby they may be spaced to suit the size of the crate to be repaired, and each corner iron having an angled recess adapted to receive a corner of the crate to provide a support therefor.

A further object is to provide a repair form for repairing collapsible crates comprising a plurality of slats connected together by U- shaped wire members passing therethrough adjacent the ends thereof to secure together said slats, and said form comprising a plurality of corner irons each having an angled recess therein adapted to receive a corner of the crate, and apertures being provided in the bottoms of said recesses adapted to receive the protruding ends of the U-shaped wire members when the top slats are initially placed in the recesses, whereby the wire strands or members may be inserted through the apertures provided at the ends of the slats and through the apertures provided in the bottoms of the recesses, after which the top slats are turned to an inverted position with the U-shaped ends of the wire members engaging the bottotms of the recesses, so that when all of the slats have been assembled upon the upwardly extending wire strands the upper ends thereof may be clinched to secure together the slats, the bottoms of the recesses serving as anvils to support-the U- shaped ends of the wire members while their upper ends are being clinched, and said form also being provided with means for securely clamping the slats together while the ends of the wire members are being secured.

The particular object of the invention therefore is to provide a repair form particularly adapted for use to support a crate or box employing wire strands for pivotally connecting together the corners thereof, while the crate is being repaired.

Other objects of the invention will appear Serial No. 220,162.

from the following description and accompanying drawings and will be pointed out in the annexed claims. L

In the drawings there has been disclosed a structure designed to carry out the various ObjGCtS of the invention, but it is to be understood that the invention is not confined to the exact features shown, as various changes may be made within the scope of the claims which follow.

Figure 1 is a plan View of my improved repairfrom showing in dotted lines adjusted positions of the parts;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the form showing the first step in repairing a crate, wherein it will be noted that the top slats are first placed in the form in an upright position;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, show ng the top slats turned to an inverted position to permit assembling of the remainder of the slats required in the construction of the box;

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view on the line 4 4 of Figure 1, showing the means provided for securing the assembled crate slats to the form while the wire members or strands provided at the corners of the crate are clinched; and

Figure 5 is a perspective View showing the clamping member adapted to engage thebottom of the crate and also the clamping screw adapted to engage this member as shown in Figure 4C.

The novel repair form featured in this invention comprises a plurality of corner irons 2, each having a tongue 3 provided on the bottom face thereof adapted to be received in longitudinal grooves 4. provided in a pair of supporting members 5. as shown in Figures 1 and 4. The corner irons 2 are secured to the supporting members 5 by means of bolts 6, having wing nuts 7 received in threaded engagement with the upper ends thereof. blots 8 are provided in the irons 2 adapted to receive the bolts 6 and whereby the corner irons may be relatively adjusted with respect to the supporting members 5. In the drawings I have shown the supporting members as consisting of suitable rails, preferably of wood, but it is to be understood that if desired the corner irons 2 may be secured to the top of a table or other suitable supporting means.

Each corner iron 2 is provided with an angled recess 9, defined by upright flanges 11 and 12 as shown. These angled recesses are adapted to receive the corners of the crate or box as shown in Figure 4. In order that the form may be adapted for crates or boxes of various lengths, a plurality of spaced apertures 13 are preferably provided in the supporting members or rails 5, so that if the slots 8 no not provide sufficient adjustment of the corner irons to fit a certain size box, the bolts 6 may be inserted into other apertures 18, whereby ample adjustment of the corner irons may be obtained to adapt them for boxes of substantially any length.

Crates or boxes of the collapsible or foldable type, are usually constructed of a plurality of end slats 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 and side slats 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23, suitably secured together at their corners by means of U-shaped wire members comprising spaced.

legs 24 and 25 secured together at one end by means of a cross member 26. These Lishaned wire members are adapted to traverse the apertured ends of the slats, as shown in Figures 2, 3, and 4. Suitable reinforcing plates 27, 28, 29 and 30 are usually secured to the ends of the slats, as shown in Figure 2, and these plates are also traversed by the wire legs or strands 24 and 25. When one or more of the slats in a crate have been broken and need to be replaced with new ones, the wire members are iisually removed from the ends of the slats in order that the broken or damaged slats may be removed from the crate. This usually necessitates cutting the wires. lVhenthese wire members have thus been cut and removed from the broken crate, new ones are usually substituted therefor, and these are inserted through the apertures provided at the ends of the slats. as shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4. Therefore, to assemble the crate after the latter has been taken apart to per mit the removal of the broken parts, the top slats of the crate are placed in the form in an upright position as shown in Figure 2. A plurality of spaced apertures 31 and 32 and also snaced slots 33 nd 34 are provided in each recess 9 adapted to receive the legs 24 and 25 of the wire members, when the latter are inserted through the apertures provided at the ends of the slats, as shown in liigure 2. After the top slats have thus been united by means of the wire legs 24 and 25, passing through the corner plates 2?, 28, 29 and 30, these slats are removed from the recesses 9 and turned to an inverted position after which they are again placed in the recesses 9, with the wires 24 and 25 extendingupwardly, as shown'in Figure 3; The rest of the slats are then assembled upon the wire members 24 and 25 after which the terminals thereof are bent over and clinched against the bottom edges of the bottom slats 14 and 19. During the clinching operation of the wire members 24 and 25, the bottoms of the recesses 9 will serve as anvils against which the cross members 26 of the wire members are seated.

Before clinching the ends of the wires 24 and 25, however, the slats are preferably securely clamped together, and this is accomplished by means of a cross-shaped clamping member 85 which is adapted to be seated on the upper edges of the inverted crate as shown in Figure 4. A clamping screw 86 is terminally seated against a re-inforcing plate 37, provided on the clamping member 85, and is received in threaded engagement with a cross bar 38 having one end apertured to receive the threaded end portion 39 of a rod 40. secured to one of the side rails 5 by means of an eye bolt 41. The opposite end of the cross bar 38 is provided with an open ended slot 42 adapted to receive the threaded end portion 39 of a similar rod which is secured to the other side rail 5 by a similar eye bolt 41. By means of this clamping device, the slats may be securel clamped together and against the bottoms of the recesses 9, so that the terminals of the wire members or strands 24 and 25 may readily be bent and clinched to securely tie together the slats. By the provision of the open ended slot 42, provided at one end of the cross bar 38, the clamping device may be quickly disengaged from the crate by simply unscrewing the clamping screw 36 suflicient-ly to allow the rod 40 to be moved out of engagementwith the cross bar 38, after which the cross bar may be swung out of the way to permit the removal of the clamping member 35. The finished. crate may then be removed from the form.

This novel repair form has been found to be very useful in repairing collapsible crates and boxes of the character above described,

as it provides means for holding the parts in their proper relation during assembling. The corner irons also provide in effect anvils against which the connecting portion 26 of the strands 24 and 25 may be seated while the opposite ends thereof are clinched. the specification I have referred to the form as being used for repairing collapsible crates, but it is to be understood that if desired it may be used for repairing other types of crates and boxes without departing from the scope of the invention.

I claimas my invention:

1. A form for repairing crates and boxes, comprising a supporting member, corner irons secured to said supporting member and each having a seat arranged therein adapted to support a corner of a crate or box, said seat also forming guides adapted to engage outer and inner surfaces of some of the members forming the crate walls, whereby said members will be retained. in upright positions while being assembled.

2. A portable form for repairing crates and boxes, comprising. a supporting member, corner ironssecured to said supporting member and each having an angled recess adapted to receive and retain in proper position the disconnected wall portions of a crate or box while being assembled.

3. A form for repairing crates and boxes, comprising a supporting member, corner irons secured to said supporting member, each having a tongue-andgroove connection with said supporting member, an angled recess in each corner iron, adapted to receive andsupport a corner of the crate or box, and means for securing the crate to said form.

4. A form for repairing collapsible crates and boxes, each comprising a plurality of slats secured together by strands of wire passing transversely therethrough, said form comprising a supporting member, corner irons secured to said member and each having an angled recess adapted to receive a corner of the crate or box to provide a support therefor, there being apertures in the bottoms of said angled recesses adapted to receive said wire strands when the assembling operation of the crate is begun, the bottoms of said an led recesses also being adapted to provide anvils for abuttingly engaging one end of each wire strand, when the crate has been assembled, whereby the opposite ends of said wire strands may be clinched to secure said slats together.

5. A form for repairing collapsible crates and boxes, each comprising a plurality of slats pivotally connected together at their ends by strands of metal, said form comprising a supporting member, corner irons adjustably secured to said member, whereby the form may be adapted for crates of variant sizes, an angled recess in each corner iron adapted to receive a corner of the crate to provide a support therefor, there being apertures in the bottoms of said angled recesses adapted to receive the ends of said iron strands during the initial assembling operation of the crate, and a clamping device for securing the assembled crate in said form to permit clinching of the ends of said iron strands.

6. A form for repairing crates and boxes comprising a frame, brackets mounted thereon and adjustable to adapt them for boxes of different sizes, each bracket having an angular recess formed therein to receive the adjacent ends of the slats composing the walls of the box at the corners, the slats being held together by strands of wire passing transversely therethrough, said brackets having holes in the bottoms of said recesses to receive the wires in the preliminary assembling of the slats of the box, and said brackets also supporting the wires when they are reversed, and the ends of the strands clinched to draw the slats together.

7. A device for assembling a crate or box composed of a series of slats with wires passing transversely therethrough, comprising a frame, brackets adjustably mounted thereon to adapt them for boxes of different sizes, each bracket having an angular recess wherein the ends of the slats at the corners of the box are seated, and the bottoms of the recesses having holes therein to receive the ends of the wires in the preliminary assembling operation, the ends of the wires being clinched to draw the slats together, a member adapted to rest upon the top of the assembled box, and a clamping device connected with said frame for squeezing or pressing the slats together preparatory to the clinching operation.

8. A form for repairing crates and boxes, comprising a supporting member having recessed seats adapted to receive and support in proper position, the disconnected wall portions of a crate or box While being assembled, said recessed seats being adapted to engage inner and outer surfaces of said wall portions.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand September, 1927.

PAUL HUBBARD PUFFER. 

